Mid Atlantic Brewing News December 2017/January 2018 : Page 1

SPONTANEITY IS KEY SOLERA: The Cask That Never Runs Dry By The Brews Brothers (Steve Frank & Arnold Meltzer) “I’m king of the world!” Nathan Zeender, head brewer at Right Proper Brewing in Washington, DC, straddles the 38-bbl oak folders where he blends new and aged versions of the same recipe. PHOTO BY STEVE FRANK at Referend Bier Blendery By Mark Haynie HOLY BARREL ROLLER. James Priest, founder of the Referend Bier Blendery, sells most of his experiments in spontaneous fermentation out of his taproom in Hopewell, NJ. estled in the rural township of Hopewell, NJ is the Referend Bier Blendery, a monument to the art of spontaneous fermentation and beer blending. Owner James Priest hales from Chicago, but draws his inspiration from the Payottenland in Belgium, home to such lambic producers as PHOTO BY MARK HAYNIE Cantillon, Boon and Lindemans. He studied their methods for years and also learned the art of blending at Almathea Cellars, a winery in Atco, NJ. “I thought this area was ripe for this style of beer,” says Priest. “Beer has really caught on here and the local agriculture supplies lots of natural yeasts for my spontaneous fermentations as well as fresh fruits.” While Belgian blenderies like Hanssens purchase already fermented lambic, Priest acquires unfermented wort from local State by State News “C See Referend p. 2 onsistently delicious but not consistently the same.” That’s how Nathan Zeender, head brewer for Right Proper Brewing in Washington, DC, describes the beers he brews through the solera method. Solera (from a Spanish word with many meanings, including “prop,” “support,” “character” and “tradition”) is a process that was devised in the late 1700s by sherry producers and was later extended to balsamic vinegar, brandy, rum, whiskey and most recently beer. Renowned brewmaster Will Meyers of Cambridge Brewing in Cambridge, Mass.—the first and oldest craft brewery with a true solera system—describes that system as “essentially a number of casks that INSIDE Strength Matters .......................... 5 Book Review.................................. 6 Homebrew News ........................... 8 Maps ...................................... 10-13 Event Calendar ............................21 See Solera p. 3 W. Virginia ........7 Virginia .............9 C. Penn ............14 Philadelphia ...15 E. Penn ............16 D.C. ..................17 Maryland ........18 Baltimore ........19 New Jersey .....20 Delaware ........22